Same-sex couples: The impact of legislative changes

Aim

We looked into the impacts of a series of major legislative changes for same-sex couples. Changes such as the Civil Partnership Act (2004), the Employment Equality (sexual orientation) Regulations (2003) and the Adoption and Children Act (2002) created a new socio-legal environment for same-sex or lesbian and gay couples.

Findings

We found that same-sex couples believed the new employment and adoption legislation gave them new rights and protection from discrimination:

The Civil Partnership Act had a positive impact on the lives of same-sex couples who had chosen to register as civil partners and some positive knock-on effects for same-sex couples who did not want to be civil partners.

The Adoption and Children Act is likely to increase the pool of prospective adoptive same-sex parents, but professionals working in the field need to improve their understanding of same-sex relationships and families.

The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations was welcome for offering greater protection from discrimination and harassment in the workplace. However, employers need to do more to promote these regulations.

Generally, it was felt that the legislation had increased the sense of belonging and legitimacy in society, security and stability. Further, that it had reinforced the message that same-sex relationships were a ‘normal’ part of everyday life and that homophobia and discrimination were unacceptable.

However, some felt that civil partnerships perpetuated inequality because they are different to marriage, that drawing attention to same-sex couples and LGB employees provide people with an opportunity to express the prejudices and that a wider cultural shift in attitude is needed to go alongside legislative changes.

Method

We conducted 47 in-depth qualitative interviews with members of same-sex couples who had been in their relationship for at least two years.

Participants were recruited by a variety of means, including via Registars, and purposively selected to ensure a diverse sample. The data was comprehensively and systematically analysed with the aid of Framework.